Letters From A Killer
by SmileJack95
Summary: Sakura is bored. So she joins a pen pal club! The Akatsuki needs a way to gather information about Naruto. When Kisame notices that Sakura's placed an ad, he and Itachi devise a plan to trick Sakura into giving them what they need through fake friendship.
1. Ch1: When Boredom Strikes

**Letters From A Killer**

::Disclaimer::  
I do not own Naruto and all of it's characters and concepts. Rights to it all goes to its respectful creators. The only thing I can lay claim to here is the plot to this fanfiction.

::A/N::  
This came to me in a dream, and my dreams tend to be a little crazy. So what seems cool to me may not be to you, so don't flame me if you hate it.

Chapter 1: When Boredom Strikes 

Sakura hated being bored. She hated having nothing to do, nobody to talk to, and most of all, she hated the fact that she had no friends to even try doing anything with. As a child, she hadn't been popular, like Ino, but she wasn't considered a loser either. She had friends then. But that was back when everything was simple, and one could sit in a puddle of mud, splashing and happy, and it was acceptable. Now, though, there was very little to do for a thirteen year old, with or without friends.

Since becoming a kunoichi, Sakura had drifted from the friends she had. Out of the small group she called her own, she was the only one to go to the academy and pursue a future as a shinobi. This very quickly drew a line between Sakura and her friends, and, before she even realized what was happening, the line became a wall. Time alone became a very valuable thing to Sakura in her earliest days of training, and between homework, practice, and spending the tiniest amount of time that was left with her family, Sakura had none left for her friends. Without hesitation, they abandoned her.

Now, times have changed. Sakura had studied and trained so much, there was nothing left for her to do. To train physically anymore would render her useless in combat due to extreme muscle cramps, and to study anymore would just be pointless. She needed something to occupy her time with. She tried making plans with others, like Ino, TenTen, and Hinata, but they always had something of their own on the go, usually within their teams. She knew that she had no chance of ever winning time with Sasuke, and the thought of entertaining Naruto for any length of time was simply out of the question. So that leaves her bored, with nothing to do, and nobody to do it with.

Frustrated and left with no other options, Sakura tossed a small stack of magazines onto her bed, and drops herself down beside them. She was leafing through a fairly recent issue of some teen magazine, when a colorful ad caught her eye. "Pen Pals Galore! We offer a very discreet and safe service, and it's free! Send your looking for letters to us, and we will send the replies back to you. From there, you get to choose who you keep as a pen pal!" The ad continued on with testimonials, followed by an address and further instructions. Sakura deliberated. Should she? It would be something to do, after all. And it's pretty risk free. "Why not?" She asked herself aloud, as she wrote her very first ad.

"Dear Prospective Pen Pals:

I am so bored with life here! I need someone to talk to outside of this dreary, monotonous realm. I honestly don't care who you are, I'm very open to anyone. All I want is some outside contact. I'm smart, kind of funny, and I'm a kunoichi. I'm 13 years old, but your age doesn't matter to me. I look forward to your replies!

Sincerely,  
Sakura Haruno"

Sakura sealed her letter in an envelope, addressed it, and left her house on a quest to the postman. She was slightly happier now, knowing that in just a few days she would probably be corresponding with someone new and different from herself. She couldn't wait. With one last smile that even the happiest person alive would be envious of, she dropped the letter into the collection box.


	2. Ch2: A Problem, A Plot, And Two Birds

**Letters From A Killer**

::Disclaimer::  
I do not own Naruto and all of it's characters and concepts. Rights to it all goes to its respectful creators. The only thing I can lay claim to here is the plot to this fan fiction.

::A/N::  
The first chapter was a little boring, but it was necessary. So I apologize to al who read it, I swear it'll get more exciting X3 Oh! And the chapters are short because I hate long chapters. I get headaches when I read or type for too long, because I'm only working with one eye, so... Yeah.

Chapter 2: A Problem, A Plot, And Two Birds With One Stone

Inside the dark, locked room of a cheap inn, two men sat, attempting to develop a strategy. "So lemme get this straight. We need information on Naruto, but we're not allowed to enter the village?" Kisame was upset. "We have to do it. We'll find a way." Itachi replied, his voice as calm as ever.

The team had recently been given a set of instructions that were to be carried out over a span of time. The terms given by the Akatsuki's leader was that Kisame and Itachi were to gather information about Naruto, for he possessed Kyuubi. But, to avoid confrontation in the village for now, they were to stay out of it. Under normal circumstances, intelligence gathering would be effortless and only too natural. Unfortunately, Naruto was protected. Even attempting to spy from afar could cause an uproar. They needed something safe, but reliable. Something that was a rare gem in the career of a ninja.

Kisame was very flustered. His idea of completing a mission rarely involved stealth or care. He liked to jump in. Itachi couldn't care less about the missions' tactics, but he still couldn't see a ready solution to their problem at hand.

"How long do we have?" Kisame asked, pacing the room's humble space. Itachi wasn't watching him. His eyes were on the floor. "It's indefinite." Kisame stopped, sighed, and let himself drop onto one of the beds. "This. Is. Madness. How the Hell are we supposed to do this without going in? The kid doesn't even have friends, Itachi! It's hopeless." Itachi's eyes were closed, searching for an answer in the darkness behind his sharingan eyes. He did not reply.

Giving up on his partner, he started leafing through a magazine that was compliments of the inn. He read for a few moments, before a look of victory swept over his shark-like features. "Itachi, I think I have an idea."

Itachi opened his eyes slowly, and turned his gaze to his partner, who crossed the room to sit beside him, magazine opened in his hand. "Look." He said simply, poking a small paragraph with his index finger. Itachi took the magazine and scanned the page. "So?" he asked. "It's a want ad for a desperate kunoichi. Kisame, if you want sex, go find someone your age. Don't resort to being a pedophile." Kisame snorted. "As if." He said. "Read the name!" Itachi dropped his gaze to the page once more. "Sakura Haruno. Isn't she on my brothers' team?" Kisame nodded his head, smiling. "Exactly! And that means that she's also on the Kyuubi kid's team! Itachi, we can write letters to this girl and trick her into telling us things!"

Itachi thought it over. The idea had some promise, not to mention it was the only idea there was to choose from. When options were few, you had to make do. And that's when another idea came to him. If his brother was also on that team, the girl was likely to talk about him as well. While he did not care about the well being of his younger sibling, he did enjoy hearing about his anguish and pains in his mission to kill his elder. What better a storyteller then his own teammate?

"So? What do you think?" Kisame asked excitedly. Itachi turned to his partner. "I think.." He smiled. "..That we might have just killed two birds with one stone."


	3. Ch3: Lucky Me!

**Letters From A Killer**

::Disclaimer::  
I do not own Naruto and all of it's characters and concepts. Rights to it all goes to its respectful creators. The only thing I can lay claim to here is the plot to this fan fiction.

::A/N::  
Yay! Chapter 3! Sorry for the delay ;. But, it's done. This one's a little longer than the first two, and it took me 3 sit ins to write it because of my little eye problem, but it's a go, and that's all that matters. I must warn you now; there's not going to be a whole lot of dialogue yet, so work with me :P. Hokay. On with the show.

Chapter 3: Lucky Me!

It had been 3 weeks since Sakura had sent in her letter. So far, there were three replies. Two of them were from the same person, who wrote in a second time when he hadn't been responded to, and the other person was a girl who turned Sakura off as soon as she read the first few sentences. Apparently, this girl was looking for a relationship beyond friendship, and Sakura wasn't into that. She was disappointed.

She was surprised when her mother called to her from downstairs. "Sakura, dear! You have some mail!" Sakura jumped to her feet from her previous position on her bed, and hurried downstairs. Her mother handed her a small stack of envelopes. "Thanks, Mom." She said, and walked back upstairs to her bedroom. 

She plopped the envelopes onto her bed and spread them out for a look. There were five; the first was a flyer on a sale at a shop she frequented. The second was a (very) late birthday card from her aunt. The third was a letter of commendation for achieving extremely high marks on a written exam. The last two were letters with names and return addresses written on the back of the envelopes.

Sakura tossed the first three aside, and turned her attention to the first of her two responses. She unfolded the paper, revealing a few paragraphs of very neat penmanship. She read;

"Dear Sakura

How are you doing? I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Haru Sato. I, too, live in a village that's not very exciting, but I make the most of it. I'm sixteen years old, but I look much older. I have to say, this feature drives most people my age away from me, and attracts the older ones. I hope this news doesn't drive you away as well, since you are three years younger than me. You said in your letter that age wasn't an issue, so I hope for my sake that it was true.

I see in your letter that you are a kunoichi. That's very interesting, I must say. Our village does have ninjas, of course, but I've never had the drive to be one myself. You must be a very strong person to keep such a lifestyle, and I suppose that it's also a hindrance on your social life. I hope that's not the case, nobody should be without friends. Whether it is or it isn't, I'd like the opportunity to get to know you better.

So what are your interests? Your letter was very short, so you could be into anything. If I were to take a guess, though, I'd say you were a book person. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. I'm a book person myself. I like the quietness of it. Not that I dislike the odd taste of noise and confusion, I just accustomed myself to a more humble, quiet lifestyle.

Well, I suppose I shouldn't drabble on about myself any longer. You may not even be interested in me. If you are, please write back. I hope you do. I can be a very good friend.  
Take care of yourself, either way, Sakura.

Regards,

Haru."

Sakura folded the letter back carefully. She didn't know why, but she really liked this person. He was very mature. He didn't sound creepy, either, like the last couple of people. They were strange and not at all what she wanted. She regretted saying that she was open to all people in her letter. It was coming back to bite her. She checked the back of the envelope and reread the return address, making a mental note to write that down after she read the second response. She set down the letter from Haru, and picked up the second envelope. She ran a finger along the inside flap, tearing through the top to save the return address on the back. She took the letter out, unfolded it, and read the words written in a very untidy scrawl that was very unlike Haru's.

"Sakura:

Hello! My name is Senichi Itou. You can call me Sen. I saw your letter and I had to write to you. I hate it when people write their life's story and expect people to want to get to know them then. What's the point, after all that, right?

Anyway, as I said, my name is Sen. I'm a little older than you might want in a pen pal, but I'm giving this a go anyway. I'm 20. And I know your pain, girl.

I 'm a ninja too, and I know how crazy it can get trying to keep a balance between work, family, and friends. It's damn near impossible. Trust me, though, sometimes you catch a break and make friends with someone in your predicament and understands that you don't have the kind of time for them that most friends require.

I'd like to keep this letter short, to see if you even send one back. I hope you do. I love having a lot of friends. I'm a very outgoing and friendly person. I hope to hear from you! Bye!

-Sen."

Sakura folded the second letter and placed it on top of the first one. "Sen." She murmured to herself. "And Haru." Sakura took out her diary and wrote the return addresses of both letters inside before returning the book to it's hiding spot. She then took her letters, and cleared a spot on her desk. She took out paper and a pencil, and started writing the first of two responses she would be sending. She didn't know why, but she liked these boys.


	4. Ch4: A Flaw?

Letters From A Killer

**Letters From A Killer**

:Disclaimer:  
I do not own Naruto and all of it's characters and concepts. Rights to it all goes to its respectful creators. The only thing I can lay claim to here is the plot to this fan fiction.

Chapter 4: A Flaw?

It had been a long day. The mission that Itachi and Kisame were assigned to wasn't hard, but very time consuming. They had left just before dawn of that morning, and were now just returning. It was already dark out. After picking up their mail, the partners in crime settled in to the cheap room that was their temporary home. Itachi sat on the edge of his bed, glancing briefly at the letters in his hand, before ultimately tossing them into the waste -basket in the corner. Kisame, with a lot less grace and a lot more speed, practically jumped onto his bed and removed his shoes. Itachi raised his eyes to meet his partners, and Kisame flashed him a sheepish grin.

Down to two letters, Itachi extended a hand with a letter resting between his thumb and forefinger. Kisame snatched it up and flopped back down onto the bed, tearing it open. Itachi tore off the side and pulled the paper out of the envelope he held. After a moment of reading, Kisame put his letter down. Itachis' eyes were still moving swiftly over his piece of paper. When he finished, he looked up at Kisame, ready to compare notes.

Kisame started, his letter still in hand for reference. "She's really talking now, Itachi." He said. "She's saying all kinds of stuff about her teammates. Nothing we can use right now, just how annoying one is, and how the other won't give her the time of day. But it's a start, right?" Itachi nodded, and glanced at his letter once more before explaining. "It's been over a month now. Your idea of being two different people went well. She seems to be talking to me more than she is you, as she says here that she's very fond of Sasuke. She also says that her other teammate has a crush on her and is trying everything he can to, as she so subtly put it, 'get in her pants'." Kisame started laughing, and Itachi allowed himself an amused smirk.

"Did you ever count the letter we sent her under different names, Itachi?" Kisame asked, as he stuffed his letter into the drawer next to his bed. "Yes, I did actually. I kept a copy of each one, just in case. There were fourteen of them. All failures in their purpose." Itachi pulled out a stack of papers held together with a paperclip from his bedside drawer. "The 'authors' of these letters are all of different character. We need to make sure we don't allow ourselves to slip into them. It could cost us everything." Kisame nodded in agreement. "We don't really make mistakes, though, do we, Itachi?" Itachi gazed at his partner. "No, you're right. We don't. But since this plan of yours is the only one we've got, we need to take precautions… to make sure that it's completely seamless."

The rest of the night went by smoothly. The pair went about their business as they would any other night. Itachi left to bathe, and Kisame went for a walk to make sleep come easier. On the way back from his walk, Kisame had to pass his mailbox in Sen's name. He checked it briefly, to save some time in the morning, and found that there was a letter there. He picked it up then, to save time in the morning. Itachi was already back in the room when he arrived, and Kisame showed him the envelope. "It's from her." He said, a look of confusion in his eyes. Sakura had already sent her last letter. She's always sent meaningless letters before, but never sent another before she got a response. Kisame opened the letter, and read it over. As he read, Itachi got up and left, so quickly and silently that even Kisame barely noticed. He returned very soon, a letter in his hand as well. Silent as ever, Itachi opened his letter and read it. The look on their faces was evidence to the letters' contents. She wanted to meet them both.

"Itachi… what are we going to do?" Kisame asked, a look of panic in his eyes. Itachi knew why Kisame was worried. He didn't want his plan to fall through. "When does she want to meet Sen?" Itachi asked, keeping his voice casual, even though his expression had already given up his surprise. "Umm… she wants to meet on Sunday." He said. He looked pale. "She wants to meet Haru on Saturday. She wants to use her weekend to meet us." Itachi dropped the hand holding the letter to his side, and stared straight ahead. "Well? What do we do?" Kisame insisted. Itachi closed his eyes. Kisame stopped is restlessness and stayed silent. He knew Itachi' needed quiet to think it through. "Kisame. Practice your Genjutsu. We need to become Sen and Haru by this weekend."


End file.
